Harvest...

[foragefarmer]

As a farmer there is so much risk. Waiting till grain is dry in swaths or standing when it could be harvested tough a few days earlier and on air is finanical suicide. I could never operate that way. Good luck

[freewheat]

Glad to know we agree, though I have been at it for a pretty long time, and have made do with what I can.

Not killed my farm yet. Again, I have many priorities. My first has been to build a farm with several absolute needs. Needs like a basic farm machinery package so I can seed in the first place etc...

Throw in several years of seeding not an acre, several of poor yields due to excess moisture, and it has been a tough go for me, relative to most who at least had their dad's land base, their dad's machinery use, and their dad's free advice and labor.

And with a name like foragefarmer, you must understand too that I have been adding and expanding our sheep operation with the goal of utilizing our land better, and smoothing out some of the bumps along the way. Seeded my first alfalfa this July, and it looks like a great catch so far!

I just took off a few acres of very tough barley. It is going in the feed bin to feed the sheep with, so I have no need for worries about spoilage etc..

I am also making plans to get into fairly large scale pasture pork production next year. So you can see I am trying hard to get out of the weather risk rut, which has gotten so bad in this area...

I am not even sure how much grain farming I will do long term. I am in an area of very wealthy established farms, and I can not think of any land that will become available in the next 30 years, unless someone dies. so I may well transition on a fairly large scale to more intensive stock farming, with a bit of grain on the side for rotation and for feed needs.

We shall see...

[furrowtickler]

Freewheat , you have been ground zero for way too much rain in western Canada bar none for too many years. I feel for you. S/F pisses and moans but your little pothole takes the cake. Good luck and godspeed there guy.

[hobbyfrmr]

15 years ago I put up 3 -2700 bu bins onto hoppers with air and they have made me money every year.
I have since added more aeration, I straight cut more than ever and harvest later.
Yes, it is a big expense, but think of 10,000 bushels of fababeans in the bin on air today.
50-60'thousand ? Then when dry move them out and put other tough crop in them.
Another tip is harvest tough in August/sept shile days are warmer and longer instead of using aeration as an end of season act of desperation. That took me about 5 years to learn.

[freewheat]

Thanks for the kind words, furrow. My fabas may be ready tomorrow.

Regarding aeration, the way my yard is set up, I have no power to the binyard, and it would cost me a small fortune to get power to it after inquiring. Again, it IS high on my list, but I have been building other aspects of my farm thus far as best I can with the goofy issues I have had over the years... Actually once I have power, a dryer will be a priority as well.

If I had power, the last several hopper bins I bought would have been set up for fans. I anticipate the next several I buy, will have fans, in anticipation of being able to afford power to the yard someday.

[SASKFARMER3]

Furrow! A F$%k it is all I have to say!
Free lets hope we get a few the last rain soaked in really good.

[TOM4CWB]

I hear a little Justin promises that the Harvest will soon have a pot at the end of each person's ear lobe... that will make hemp a cheap imitation of the REAL THING... and that will not be a Cola either!!!

Wait... I think I need some laughing gas too... just about now... to go along with my Joint! We can go on an Interweb trip... all of us... to a planet far far away...

Cheers! Eat a laced cookie... some Whisky... and the world will be JUST FINE!!! Oh yah... admire the dead naked native women on the 12' by 20' Bill Board with the SCREWpile through her mid section... from the front window... and on the main highway going into town.

Like dust in the wind... what will this planet look like in 25 years!

[blackpowder]

Sure wish there was a freewheat near me.
Labor for equipment infrastructure exchange. Solve both our problems.

[hobbyfrmr]

Tom, for a person with traditional balanced views I thought you would understand the contrast between nutritional/health benefits of hemp food products vs. medicating and recreating pot.

[TOM4CWB]

Hobby,

Always seemed to be are real and present BLURRING of the lines between the two.

Every time we dealt with the Hemp crowd... there was a musty low level fog involved... and a surprising lack of local law enforcement.

Especially in Hemp conferences... in Vancouver... the air was thick... and the need to self medicate was surprisingly simple... just breathe!!!!

[riders2010]

Reformers don't do pot? Ya right! How many mps on parliament hill did or do pot? Of all parties?

Currently as it is being illegal it's all over in every school readily available. Can't see how it's going to be safer for kids when the low life's can walk down the street legally with it. The judges that rule on the low life's half of them likely do pot themselves which is why I suspect such failure of the system to clean this garbage out if our community.

[hobbyfrmr]

It is surprising how many people smoke pot.
Industrial hemp and pot are both the cannibas plant but the good news is, their characteristics are inversed. I know its easy to make fun of the close association but it is a black and white comparison, there is no grey area. Either you choose to eat healthy food or you choose to recreate/medicate.